| ***** "Stop!" Yelled Sybelle. Jemmiah turned to face her in surprise. "What’s wrong?" She frowned. "I’ve got an even better way to round things off." The satisfaction on her face was quite evident. "A final dare. Masters versus Padawans." Mace grinned broadly. "There isn’t a single thing that you could do that we masters couldn’t cope with." "You seem very certain of yourself, if you'll permit me to say so Master Windu." Sybelle stole a quick look at Griff. "My dare is for the masters to team up and give each other Bantha rides along the road to the next Cantina. Same with the padawans." "That’s ridiculous!" Mace began to regret his earlier cockiness. "Not backing down are you, Master Windu?" Sybelle shot back. "Er…no, but I mean…" "Well, I’m game!" Berlingside smiled as he sided with Depa Billaba. Obi-Wan smirked. "Me too!" He was about to move to Jemmiah’s side when Sybelle intercepted him. "Good. As instigator of this dare I shall choose who my partner will be." She wheeled upon Obi-Wan and clasped him firmly on the shoulder. "You, Kenobi." "M-me?" He gulped. "But I was going to go with…" "Good!" Kryztan said, eyes shining. "I’ll partner Jemmiah." Sybelle heard an annoyed intake of breath from Obi-Wan, and a highly nervous look flash briefly across Jemmy’s features. She couldn’t have planned it any better. "What about me?" Griff hissed. A tall figure loomed over the smuggler. "Perhaps I can assist in this small game of partner swapping, Mr. Rendar." Lilith bowed sarcastically, head low but eyes raised to challenge Sybelle. Perhaps she hadn’t thought it out as well as she thought. Griff snorted. "Why not. It’s not like anyone else is offering, is it?" Qui-Gon shrugged. If everyone else was prepared to look stupid then who was he to be the odd one out. "Healer Leona? Would you consent to be my partner in this little escapade?" Leona didn’t really want to be anybody’s partner in the escapade, as Qui-Gon had put it, but rationalized that it was better to be sitting on his shoulders than anyone else’s. "I accept." She nodded. "But what about Mace?" Jinn looked round to see that there were no female knights left to partner Mace. Except for… Sal-Fina. She walked over to him. "Looks like it’s you and me, Master Windu." She said sourly. Poor Mace, thought Qui-Gon with considerable smugness. He’d certainly got the better deal with Leona! An-Paj tried to adjust the weight of Vernice Ashdal who had her hands locked around his neck. "Can we go now?" He choked. "I’ve got a better idea." Kryztan said smoothly. "Why don’t we take our time?" Jemmiah leaned over. "Don’t make any smart comments about you having my legs round your neck!" Kryztan barely batted an eyelid. "Sith knows it’s been an ambition of his for a good long while." Sybelle said to Obi-Wan. Kenobi straitened up so quickly that Sybelle nearly went flying off his shoulders. It was a strange little mixture that waited for the countdown. Some of the padawans had not been able to find an opposite sex partner and so Ocen-Bai Talz and Garos Hmiol had been forced to double up, much to the amused jeers of the others. Simeon carried a still not fully functional Dimallie, who insisted on drooping forward and hitting him in the face with her arm, whilst Jay carried Kylenn and Meri crouched over the muscled form of Zac V’Aladee. Jemmiah grudgingly started a recount. Trust Sybelle to take over her scheme! And engineering it so that she would be forced to have Kryztan as a partner… She was going to regret it, BIG TIME. Letina steered Tanni Welasa to the back of the group so that she could continue filming, as Jemmy ticked off the seconds once again. "GO!" She yelled, kicking Kryztan in the side with her heeled boots as if he were a Nargot in a race. "Urmph!" Harkley had the air taken out of him, but dashed towards the exit, followed shortly by Qui-Gon and Healer Leona, An-Paj and Vernice Ashdal and Jay Abran with Kylenn half screaming as she nearly fell off. All the knights and padawans made for the exit at the same time. As Jay and Kylenn made it through the door, Simeon tripped and shot Dimallie backward onto the couple behind him, who in turn fell onto Sal-Fina and Mace. A knock-over effect ensued as most of the remaining people fell over the groaning Dimallie. "Sith!" Yelled Mace. "They’re getting away! Quick, climb on top of me!" "I thought you’d never ask." Sal-Fina said dryly. Obi-Wan and Sybelle clashed with Meri and V’Aladee as they reached the exit and proceeded to get stuck. "Move, will you!" Obi-Wan swore. "Watch it, piggy!" Meri shoved her way past and out into the road, followed shortly by Kenobi and an annoyed Sybelle. "Why did you let them past?" Hissed the girl. "Why did you pick me?" Obi-Wan groused. "Just get a move on!" "Fine!" He snapped. As he started hurrying along the streets of Coruscant with his rider clasping her hands unhelpfully over his eyes, Kenobi could just see Kryztan and Jemmy making their way to the front past Jay. Well, Kryztan had made his move. Two could play at that! The race was well and truly on, thought Obi-Wan. And not just to the next to Cantina… ***** Garos Hmiol sat atop his humiliating mount. They would all pay for this. Garos had been driven over edge already tonight; he had no restraint left. They took off, and Hmiol fell behind instantly. "Can't you go any faster?" He asked. He got a think-you-could-do-better glance for his trouble, and he turned back ahead. Garos could just make out An-Paj ahead of him. Wait a minute... He thought. I KNOW these streets! That was the one advantage he had. He walked them everyday. Garos consulted the maps in his mind. "Turn here." He said, pointing to an alley coming up on his right. "There's a hole blown in the wall, I don't know who did it, but it leads to the other side of the street. Hurry." Let's see their faces when I'm halfway done with my first drink when they show up... ***** "Quick, Kryztan. Hurry it up will you!" Jemmiah snapped. "I’m going as fast as I am prepared to." Harkley said smoothly, deviating down an alleyway. Jemmiah felt her eyes getting really heavy, although she couldn’t think for the life of her why that should be. She hadn’t had all that much to drink. Had she? "Kryztan, you’re…you’re going the wrong way." She slurred. Kryztan was slightly annoyed at this turn of events. The stuff he’d spiked her drink with was working way to fast, and it would be perfectly obvious to anyone with half a brain cell that something was very wrong with her. Maybe he’d given her too much. Still, one had to make the most of the opportunities that came ones way. "Don’t you worry." He smiled reassuringly even though she couldn’t see it. "You’ve just had a little too much to drink. So I’m going to stop over here for a bit. Ok?" Jemmy felt truly awful now. There was a strange, sweet taste in her mouth, which made her clouded mind wonder vaguely if she’d been drugged. It reminded of her of some rather unpleasant experience she’d had before, but couldn’t quite think what. Only that the whole situation made her feel rather uneasy… "Put me down." She groaned, trying to get her spinning vision back under control. "Sith, I think I’m dying." Kryztan went to help her down from his back but she tried to push herself off and landed in a big heap on the ground by his feet. "Take it easy." He tried to soothe her. "They’re not going to miss us for a bit. Most of them will be wandering round trying to get to the next Cantina." He bent over to kiss her on the forehead but she pulled away. "Don’t Kryztan. I feel really ill." She attempted to lurch to her feet but got absolutely nowhere. Kryztan watched her for a moment and then her pulled her over to the wall. "Just sit down against the wall for a bit." He told her. "You’ll feel better soon." He wrapped his cloak over her, and for a moment she was just grateful for the warmth. Gods, she wished she could just close her eyes! "Please get Qui-Gon." She said in a shaky voice. "Or Leona." "Not Obi-Wan?" He said looking at her intensely. "I…I don’t want him seeing me like this." She whispered, gradually realizing that although the cloak was draped round her shoulders, there was an arm still inside the cloak. "Don’t worry about a thing." He promised. "I’ll look after you." "Did you see where everyone went?" Lilith puzzled. "No." Griff grumbled. He could still hear the taunts wringing in his ears as he’d treated all the other people on the crawl to the unedifying vision of the strapping Lilith carrying HIM on HER shoulders. "Jemmiah and that Harkley kid were up ahead. Where did they go?" "I don’t know and I don’t care." Griff retorted. "The others will have caught us up by now! Master Jinn and that healer woman weren’t that far behind us." "Whinge, whinge, whine, whine…" Lilith grunted as she tried to get the circulation going in her neck again as they ran past one of the darker and seedier back streets. "Quit shoving me about." Groused the smuggler. Lilith was about to tell him exactly what she’d like to shove and where, when she heard a scream. Jemmiah wasn’t in the habit of panicking. The fact that her mind didn’t seem to be functioning properly or that her legs wouldn’t obey her wishes didn’t faze her as much as she guessed it should. What did bother her was the strange lingering taste in her mouth… and Kryztan’s increasingly ardent intentions. "Back off!" She tried to push him away. "Or you’ll what?" He asked as he let his hands wander under the cloak. "You’re drunk." Jemmiah tried to keep her eyelids from closing. "So?" "Go away." She persisted. "Obi-Wan will…go banoodly." "I don’t think he’s going to bother us." Kryztan replied, kissing her forcefully on the lips. Jemmiah surprised him by the amount of struggle she managed to put up. "Kryztan, get off!" she yelled. That sweet taste in her mouth… it reminded her of something…some place… Nargotria. She lashed out at Kryztan with incredible speed, although her arms felt leaden and useless. Her nails caught him just on his left cheekbone. "Sith!" He pushed her away, "What did you do that for?" All the time that Kryztan struggled with her, Jemmiah’s mind was convinced she was back on that God-awful planet. And there was no Qui-Gon or Obi-Wan to help her this time. Jemmiah screamed. "Shut up!" Yelled Kryztan. "You’ll have everyone in the vicinity down here." He grabbed hold of her wrists. "Just calm down! You’re getting hysterical." When she didn’t stop yelling Kryztan panicked, and before he knew it found that he'd backhanded her across the jaw. "Stupid, ignorant Corellian…" His voice was hoarse, pleading with her to quieten down. "Excuse me?" Came a voice from behind him. "What was that about stupid, ignorant Corellians?" Kryztan looked up to find the tall and intimidating frame of Lilith Demodae standing in the mouth of the alleyway, with Griff Rendar not too far away. "If you need any witnesses, I’m more than happy to come forward." Griff stepped closer. Lilith took the whole scene in very quickly. "You idiot." She snapped at him. "It’s as well that you’re drunk. If you weren’t I should think the Jedi would probably toss you out for what you’ve just tried to do." "I haven’t tried anything." Kryztan lied feebly. "She’s had too much to drink. I attempted to help her and then she started hitting me and screaming." "I’ve got eyes." Lilith folded her impressive arms. " I know an assault when I see one." She leaned slightly over her shoulder. "See if you can’t find one of the masters to help clear this up." Griff nodded and headed back the way they’d come. "Don’t even think about making a dash for it." Lilith sneered. "You may have Jedi reflexes but I assure you there’s no way you’d get past me." She studied him a moment. "What’s the matter? Couldn’t stand the idea of Kenobi having something that you didn’t?" "You don’t know what you’re talking about." Kryztan growled. "Look who I’ve found." Griff appeared again in the darkened alley. Lilith smiled. "Hello, Master Jinn." Hmiol was feeling extremely pleased with himself. Revenge was his! That was all that mattered. He’d prove to everyone he wasn’t the dullard that everyone assumed him to be. As Ocen Bai-Talz followed the commands and directions given to him, Hmiol sat astride his charge like some General in an ancient battle. He could maybe get used to being the one who gave out the orders. It certainly made a change to be obeyed without question. "This way!" He pointed straight ahead of him. "OK! OK! I’m going as fast as I…" That was as far as Bai got before they both disappeared down the open manhole. "How is she?" Jinn asked Healer Leona. She considered her answer. "She’s been drugged alright. What did you use Kryztan?" Kryztan said nothing. "I need to know what the substance was that you put in her drink." Leona insisted. "What was it? Diloxamide?" He nodded. "Well, at least that’s something." Leona said. "It’s a drug commonly used in brothels and the like. Fortunately the effects are easily reversible. Papyri juice contains an agent that counters the symptoms of this particular drug. If we can just get her to the next Cantina…" "It was just a bit of fun." Whined Kryztan. Qui-Gon rounded on him so quickly that Kryztan was taken aback. "I’m assuming you know what you did was wrong, even if you are in a state of inebriation." Jinn hissed. Harkley nodded. "It’s your master I feel sorry for. What’s he going to say when I tell him what’s happened here?" Kryztan’s eyes widened in horror."N-no. Don’t tell my master." "Give me one reason why I shouldn’t?" Qui-Gon caught the audible gulp. "Because it’s not his fault." Kryztan looked shakily at Qui-Gon. "That’s right. It isn’t." Jinn was at a loss what to do. The council could throw Kryztan out, of that there was a distinct possibility. Whilst part of him welcomed that almost inevitable decision, another part despised the waste of what was in every other respect a talented student. And then there was Dex Berlingside, who had been such a good friend to him when Xanatos had let Qui-Gon down. To see the same thing happen again to someone else… "I’m going to be watching you for the rest of your life." Breathed Jinn. "I promise you that if you so much as take one step out of line then I will have your sorry carcass dragged before the council. I’m only doing this to spare your master any pain." He saw disappointment on Griff’s face and disgust firmly etched on the features of Lilith... "I was about ready to tear your head off when Griff told me what you had attempted." Qui-Gon drew himself up to his full height. "But I’m not angry now." He let go of his hold on Kryztan’s robe, actually smoothing out a few wrinkles that he’d made. "So. I’m not going to tell your master about what you did." Kryztan wilted in relief. "And you’re not going to tell your master what I’ve done either." With that, Qui-Gon threw a punch at him that knocked the padawan to the floor. Griff wandered over to Lilith and whispered in her ear: "Are Jedi allowed to do that?" "Maybe not." Lilith winked back. "But are you going to tell him that?" ***** Krelo ran along behind the main pack of jogging, stumbling students and masters, her holocamera humming happily. She was trying hard not to laugh as she filmed the whole thing. Several pairs changed directions or decided to take short cuts. Krelo laughed. Drunk as most of them were, those short-cuts could bring them in dead last. Lilith watched with satisfaction as Qui-Gon flattened that pathetic excuse for a human being. She may not like Griff Rendar, but he had never done anything like this that she was aware of. At the healer's suggestion, she lifted her fellow Corellian into her arms and gently carried her in the direction of the next cantina. "I'm a little turned around," Qui-Gon admitted, hesitantly. "No problem," Lilith and Griff answered together. "If there's a seedy, cheap cantina in this quadrant that Rendar hasn't been thrown out of it's less than a month old." Lilith explained. Griff looked annoyed, but didn't contradict her. "This way." Without further ado, he turned and led the small group of stragglers off in the proper direction. ***** "AHHHHHH......" "AHHHHHH......" The dual screams were all Garos heard as he fell. Finally, with a thud and a pain in the backside, they landed. Hmiol glared at the open manhole above them. It wasn't fair! It just wasn't fair! Beside him, Ocen Bai-Talz sat up. "Wha..." He paused as it all came back to him. "A manhole..." Garos had no time for it. "Yes, because you weren't watching the road, we're trapped in the sewers. And we lost. I hope you're happy." Bai was about to protest, but something else caught him. "Trapped?" "There's no ladder here. We'll have to look for another manhole. Come on." He looked at the river of brown muck beside them. "And watch your step." They started off in the general direction of the cantina. No use getting even farther away from the group. The shadows deepened as they went further into the tunnels, and Garos ignited his blue-green blade for a torch. The howl of some feral beast echoed through the sewers. As they moved along the narrow path, Bai spotted a shaft of light ahead. "Hey, look there! I think it's a manhole!" Caution thrown to the winds, they rushed toward it. In their hurry, they disturbed a nest of some large, hissing insects that Hmiol could not identify. Ocen Bai-Talz let out a cry as one of the creatures leaped toward him, and he fell into the stream of sewage. Another creature crawled onto Hmiol's arm, stinging him. Garos' arm went numb. Finally, he managed to fall away from the creatures, which moved back into the wall. He turned to the thrashing figure in the muck and, with his good arm, pulled him up. "One of those things stung me. I can't feel my arm." He said, rubbing his wounded appendage. "At least you're not covered in raw sewage!" Bai exclaimed. "Force! This stuff reeks! I'll never get the smell off this robe!" "Whatever. Let's just get out of here." Sybelle clung tighter to Kenobi as he ran. She was barely ahead of the other padawan teams. Sybelle smiled. Not only had she gotten everyone with this Dare, but to add insult to injury, she was winning! Her grin faded as the manhole ahead of them suddenly opened. She tried to warn Obi-wan, but it was too late. He tripped, sending Sybelle flying. Ocen Bai-Talz climbed out onto the street, with Garos Hmiol right behind him. As the others ran past them toward the cantina, he climbed back onto Bai's back. "Go!" He yelled, pointing forward. ***** "Come on, sweetheart." Lilith was attempting to pour the rather garish pink/peach colored concoction down Jemmiah’s throat whilst Leona tilted her head backwards. She was having none of it, and pushed the glass dazedly away from her mouth. "She doesn’t like Papyri juice." Qui-Gon explained. "Infact she hates it." He took the glass from Lilith and sat down beside her. "Jemmiah, you have to drink this. If you don’t, I’m going to have you transported back to the infirmary. Do you understand?" He asked, looking for a small sign of recognition in her eyes. "Itssshorrrrrrible." She slurred, pushing the glass away again. Lilith took a sip. "Actually, she’s right. It IS horrible." She grimaced, and handed the glass back to Qui-Gon. "Still, cruel to be kind, huh?" "Kryztan. Gonna kill’im." She groaned. "Not if I get him first." Qui-Gon hissed. He was already regretting his decision to let him off with just a beating. "He’d better not visit the surgery in a hurry." Leona growled, surprising Qui-Gon with the strength of her feelings. "I’ll have him neutered…" "I’m quite glad we buried the hatchet after our shaky start." Qui-Gon smiled. He turned his attention back to Jemmiah. "You’ve got to drink this, Tangles." He started to pour into her open mouth. "There." He said with satisfaction once he thought she’d swallowed it. "That wasn’t too difficult…" He was cut short as Jemmiah sprayed the foul fruit drink into his face in disgust. "Goawaaaaaaaay!" She turned and buried her head in Leona’s shoulder. Qui-Gon picked up a napkin and wiped himself down. "I’m rather pleased under the circumstances that I don’t have my beard." He glared at her. "There’s no use hiding. I happen to have a second glass right here." Jemmiah wailed. "I’m sorry, but this is for your own good." He gently pulled her round to face him once more. "Leavemealonnnnnnnne." She whimpered, hitting him with her clenched fists. "Stop that this instant!" Qui-Gon replied. "Look at me, Jemmiah!" She refused. "That’s it. I’m going to do something I swore I’d never do." "What?" Leona asked doubtfully. Qui-Gon turned Jemmiah’s head back towards him then waved his hand infront of her. "You WILL drink this." She stared back fixedly at him for a moment, then let her eyes fall on the glass. "N-no." She shook her head in refusal. "What do you mean no? You can’t say no! You’re not supposed to be able to say no!" Jinn frowned, waving his hand again. "You WILL drink the Papyri juice." Jemmiah shook her head again. "Damn!" He muttered. "That’s not meant to happen." He sighed as he saw the rather sorry looking figure regarding him with pained eyes. "Oh, don’t give me that look." He winced. "Are you going to drink this or not?" "Not." She replied in a small voice. "Guess what. Wrong answer." Qui-Gon picked up the glass again. "This time don’t spit it out." Jemmy stared at the glass for a while then gave a dramatic sigh and attempted to take it from Qui-Gon. "Whoa! Easy." He said, as she nearly spilled half of it down her front before the glass got anywhere near her mouth. Pausing only to screw up her eyes in disgust, she knocked the substance backwards as quickly as she could. This time she swallowed it. "Well done, sweetheart." Lilith clapped her on the shoulder. "Now why couldn’t you have done that in the first place?" Qui-Gon smiled as she buried her face in her hands. Frowning, Qui-Gon spotted the bruises on her wrists. "I’m going to murder him." He said simply. |
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| A Night to (almost) Remember |
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